The Times - Trans person seeks to rewrite their criminal history on basis of 'privacy'

[Wanderabout]

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/trans-offender-seeks-to-wipe-crimes-as-aman-from-record-qfk5w68lb?shareToken=9224a3234cfb01ef11ba3d794f7c7942

Represented by Claire McCann.

If successful this could also apply to sexual offences such as rapes.

Implications of this plus self-ID for women's safety are hugely disturbing.

I agree that all examples of importuning are questionable in terms of whether they should be illegal. (There will be some which would count as sexual harrassment, others which were simply a man chatting another man up - and decades after the event it's impossible to say which is which).

But this case has been very carefully framed. It's being used as a Trojan horse test-case. Instead of tackling all historical cases of importuning, regardless of the self-professed gender of the person with the criminal record, it's directed specifically at crimes which can only be committed by someone male (i.e. not just importuning, but also rape, barring the miniscule number of convictions under common purpose laws), and the reason for striking them down is not that it was an unjust law, but because of the "outing" nature of the crimes for someone who has since changed gender [sic.].

Both Claire McCann and Catherine Casserley were listed as being from Cloisters Chambers. So working together on this. An MTF referred to it as the "UKTELI panel" on Twitter. So is Cloisters UKTELI?

Having a quick look, it seems they provide themselves on success in activist cases.

Agree with the last few posts. Let's think about what UKTELI is about. The Transgender Equality Legal Initiative.

www.teli.org.uk/

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But someone is paying big bucks to steamroller these cases through. You can bet that "Helen" was not sitting in their cell considering their legal position and frantically sewed enough mail bags to pay for the services of Claire McCann.

Why on earth are South Manchester Health Trust sponsors of teli.org?! Have they not got something more important - like, er, saving lives - to spend their money on?

Jess Bradley

Ereshki, from the website, Cloisters are not a sponsor of TELI. However, Garden Court, One Pump Court, Leigh Day, and Linklaters are. I am a lawyer, so I have had dealings with many of these. Garden Court and 1 PC are full of woke right-on types, so very unshocked there. Leigh Day is a solicitors firm that is also woke. Linklaters is a huge, international, corporate firm who probably just chuck cash at random stuff to appear a bit more soft and friendly.

Alex Sharpe, trans woman academic, who wrote a very disparaging piece slating Becca Reilly-Cooper (which was incidentally riddled with major spelling/grammar errors) is also a barrister at Garden Court.

Let's think about what UKTELI is about. The Transgender Equality Legal Initiative.

Tara Hewitt (one of the co-founders with Jess Bradley and Michelle Brewer) describes TELIs formation at the beginning of a workshop for HCPs on 'Trans people and Cancer'

There's also quite a bit of discussion about TELI on the Jess Bradley third thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3325623-Jess-Bradley-a-government-advisor-on-womens-rights-suspended-by-NUS-over-indecent-blog-Part-iii

But someone is paying big bucks to steamroller these cases through. You can bet that "Helen" was not sitting in their cell considering their legal position and frantically sewed enough mail bags to pay for the services of Claire McCann.

I imagine "Helen" was freed a long time ago. But yes.

That's really interesting Peak and seen Garden Court come up in this context before too. It wasn't me re the Cloisters link, it was that a trans person called the WEP session yesterday the "UKTELI panel".

Aha. Well, those chambers/firms are only the main sponsors. I am sure there are numerous TELI members from a wider range of places. I will try to google some of them.

www.teli.org.uk/our-team/

Cathy Jaquiss in particular has tweeted quite a bit about how 'trans women are women and have exactly the same right to use all-female spaces as cis women'. Yeah, well that worked real well in the Karen White case, didn't it.

Michelle Brewer's name is one I have seen quite a lot in connection to TRAs and she is also at Garden Court. Ironically, specialises in prison law. Probably doesn't give much of a shit about female prisoners though.

Yes I think Michelle Brewer is a founder member.

Very interesting thread pointing out the lack of solidarity with the G of LGBT shown by the approach of this case - and the approach Press for Change took for same sex marriage:

mobile.twitter.com/TybilAlper/status/1038839228447293442

The offence which "Helen" seeks to have erased has been carefully chosen indeed. This article from 2016 shows the fine line between being a protagonist or a victim of "importuning" as a gay man: www.independent.co.uk/voices/alan-turing-law-gay-men-historical-sex-offence-convictions-cautions-soliciting-not-wonderful-step-a7373426.html.
And any removal would, I hope, be on the grounds that the offence is/was a homosexual offence, not a general exemption from revealing all (heterosexual) sexual offences. But the point made by Andrew Gilligan is well made - about penises (sorry!)

They should be campaigning for all gay men to get these things struck off

Quite.

But its not about anything bar trans people getting rape records removed, as far as I can see.

Absolutely there is no solidarity with the LG or B.
And they hate women.

Great bunch of guys.

PeakPants

Have a look at the JB thread.
Also the inaugural conference speakers list is interesting.

"Helen" must be willing to put head above parapet, recognising will end up in the newspapers. Probably someone who gave evidence to the WEC?

Is there an AIBU thread on this yet? Things like this, that are so obviously wrong, need to be where the whole world sees. And if we can't do that then at least the more visible bits of MN.

There is no way a parent will not immediately grasp how wrong this is.

Thanks R0wan, I will have a look. Yes, I saw both the Cloisters barristers were speakers about the GRA at the WEP conference. I am sure that was very balanced indeed...

I couldn't find an AIBU thread on this so I'm going to start one. Be glad to see a few of you over there.

Apologies if I've missed one.

Thanks •Mip*